Wanderings of a Winter Spirit
by Altrien
Summary: The boy looked curiously at his own thin and pale hands, he tentatively touched his own cloak; all of it unfamiliar. He looked up expectantly at the moon, seeking answers. "Why I was there and what I was meant to do, I didn't even know, and part of me wonders if I ever will." A series of oneshots about Jack's early years as a Winter Spirit.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Rise of the Gaurdians. All characters and main story plot belong to William Joyce and Dreamworks pictures. This is just my take on the story and a few scenes that I will be adding later.

**A/N: My first FanFic ever! I loved this movie so much I had to write something about it. I appreciate constructive critisism and will take any advice to heart. This is a chance to test my own writing skills and improve on them. I don't really have a plan for the story right now, I'll just see how it goes.**

Chapter 1, An Evening of Firsts

A lone figure floated, suspended in the murky depths. The moonlight poured into the water, its beams scattered by the thick ice covering the small lake. When the moonbeams reached the floating figure, it slowly began to rise toward the soft light.

"Darkness. That's the first thing I remember. It was dark and it was cold and I was scared."

White hair drifted freely in the water as the figure continued to rise. Ice blue eyes blinking open for the first time to see the gentle light of the moon beckoning.

"But then, then I saw the moon. It was so big, it was so bright! It seemed to chase the darkness away."

The ice crumbled away and smoothly slid to the side to allow passage for the newborn being. A boy, no older than eighteen emerged from the lake and took his first gasping breath.

"And when it did, I wasn't scared anymore."

The boy continued to rise toward the moon as the fear and uncertainty faded away. The moon, reassured by the look of peace on the boy's face, gently set the boy down on the icy surface of the lake. Tendrils of frost reached out and curled around the surface of the ice as the boy's feet touched the frozen surface, resealing the hole he had risen from.

The boy looked curiously at his own thin and pale hands, he tentatively touched his own cloak; all of it unfamiliar. He looked up expectantly at the moon, seeking answers.

"Why I was there and what I was meant to do, I didn't even know, and part of me wonders if I ever will."

_You are Jack Frost, child of winter._

The boy gives a small smile in response. He takes his first uncertain step and slips a little on the icy surface. He regains his balance and continues forward; carefully placing his feet with each step. His feet bump into something lying discarded on the ice, a wooden staff with a curved end. Curious, but cautious, he taps the staff with his foot. It responds to the touch with a blue glow.

He crouches down and picks it up. The blue glow flashes along the length of the staff startling him. He almost dropped the staff. The end of the staff touches the surface of the lake and more tendrils of frost spread out in a flower-like pattern from where it touched. The boy smiles delightedly as his curiosity rises unhindered.

The boy experimentally taps the curved end of the staff against a tree and watches in wonder as the tendrils spread. He touches the frost, just to make sure that they are real. He turns the staff around in his hands and taps it against another tree, getting a similar result. The boy chuckles with joy as the staff's purpose is revealed to him.

The boy begins to slide around the ice, laughing as he drags the staff along behind him. The patterns of frost outline his every movement, the staff glows blue as he calls on its power. He runs along the edge of the trees spreading the frost to them as well. He twirls back out onto the ice and is unexpectedly picked up by the wind.

The wind carries him over the lake and shows him the work of art he has created. The boy smiles at his creation. Just as he starts to relax in the embrace of the wind, the winds dies down and he crashes into the trees below. He catches himself on a large branch and holds on tightly before he falls again.

Startled, but unhurt, he laughs at himself. He laughs at the wonder of it all and at his clumsy attempts to control these powers.

Something catches his eye at the edge of the forest. A small village, warmly lit up by the fires in its streets. The boy crouches on the branch that caught him and stares curiously at the village. Will the wonders never cease!? Eager for a closer look, he launches himself unsteadily into the air.

His landing is nowhere near graceful as he crashes to the ground and his cloak is flung over his head. He stumbles around blindly for a few moments until he can get the cloak righted and the snow dusted off. Still laughing at himself he wanders into the village.

He waves to a lady wearing a bonnet and greets a few more people that wander by him. He can hardly contain his excitement, wait until they see what he can do!

"Hello," he greets a lady. "Hello!" he calls to a man that walks by. "Good evening ma'am. Ma'am?" he says to another. None of them return his greetings. Unfazed, he turns to a little boy running in the street.

"Oh! Uh, excuse me. Could you tell me where I am?" The boy runs right through him. Stunned by the feeling of emptiness that washes through him by the boy's passage, he felt for the first time what it was like to be cold. He turns around to look for the boy when a man passes right through him, followed by a woman. One after another they walk through him like he isn't even there.

"Hello? Hello!" His cry a sad echo of the greetings he had offered just moments earlier. Confused and frightened he backs away toward the safety and emptiness of the forest. Dejected, he turns and runs back toward the lake, headless of the branches he careens into.

Tears burn in his eyes as he realizes that he is alone. He staggers from the tree line and slips on the surface of the lake. He doesn't catch himself this time, so he falls to the ice with a dull thud and his staff slips from his grasp, skidding a few feet away from him. He curls into a ball, pulling his legs close, trying to erase the feeling of someone walking right through him. Dry sobs shake his shoulders and he pulls his cloak closer to him.

He begins to calm down after a while. He is no longer curled up, but is instead stretched out along the ice like it is a comfortable bed. He rests his head against the ice. It feels good, soothing even. He stares at his hands for a long moment, before jolting upright with a choked cry. He spots his staff a few feet away and he lunges for it. Once the staff is back in his hands, he hugs it to himself. It is the only thing that feels real to him right now.

"My name is Jack Frost. How do I know that? The moon told me so. That was all he ever told me, and that was a long, long time ago."

**A/N: Yes, this is taken right from the movie, with a few of my own touches. I figured I had to start somwhere. Reveiws please!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Yay! Chapter 2! I have had a bunch of people read the last chapter and favorite it, but sadly no reviews. If i get some reviews I promise to try to update faster. Writing prompts are also welcome, I could use a few new ideas. I think this chapter turned out really fun, and why not? Jack is the Gaurdian of Fun after all, even if he doesn't know it yet. Read and review!**

Chapter 2, Practicing His Powers

The sun rose over Jack's lake, illuminating his sleeping form curled upon the ice. The winter spirit stirred and rolled onto his back. He turned his head to the east and gazed at the collage of colors painted across the morning sky. The sky had turned into a pale yellow and the thin wisps of winter clouds shone in a rosy pink. His frost from the previous night reflected back the light making the whole lake glitter in the rising sunlight.

Jack rose to his feet. A new day, his first day. He leaned on his staff, taking in the beauty of it all. The sun rose over the trees and bathed the lake in its light. The sun was so different from the moon. The moon was gentle, but the sun was awe-inspiring.

With the light from the sun lighting up the forest, the children came.

They came in groups. Some carrying sleds and heading for the hill nearby. Others had skates slung over their shoulders and the youngest ones came so bundled up that they could hardly move. Jack couldn't help but laugh at the sight of the kids waddling through the snow.

As they neared the shoreline, Jack edged away from them. He didn't want them to pass through him again.

The kids with the sleds were the first to start playing, and Jack found himself drawn to their laughter. He watched as they piled on two to three on a sled and slide down the hill, only to be thrown from the sled headfirst into a snowdrift. The snow was too soft, but they still thought it was fun. Jack helped them out by freezing over the hill, like he had done to the lake last night. The cheers and joyous shouts he received as the slid down the perfect ramp were encouraging.

Jack crouched near the top of the hill and was gently helping to push the sleds down the hill with his staff. A boy suddenly dashed to the top of the hill with his sled and ran for the ramp, all the other children cheered him on. The boy jumped onto his sled on his belly and slid down the hill faster than any of the others. Jack leaped into the air and whooped with delight. As he waved his staff, Jack noticed a breeze. He stared at his staff and wondered what else it could do.

Soon more of the kids were following the boy's lead and getting running starts down the hill; each one trying to out-race the last. Jack felt a mischievous grin spread across his face as he got an idea. As the kids ran for the ramp, Jack started sending little gusts of wind after them; pushing them faster and faster. Sometimes he followed the sleds down, sliding along on his own feet, pretending that he was in on the race too.

All too soon the kids were leaning their sleds against the trees and stopping for a quick break. Jack, however, could keep doing this all day.

The kids with the skates were doing circles around his lake. Jack smiled at them, but he felt his heart clench in fear. What if they fell through? He didn't want anyone else to feel that cold darkness underneath the ice.

Jack slid out onto the lake, dragging his staff along behind him. He focused, not on sending frost patterns across the ice, but on thickening it. He weaved in and out between the kids, never touching them, on the ice as he slid smoothly along, his clumsiness from last night was just a memory. The wind followed his passage as he went faster, snatching scarves and picking up small flurries of snow. Jack stopped when he noticed that the ice was thick enough to hold a horse. Now the kids could skate without fear.

A rogue snowball suddenly hit Jack in the back of the head. He raised his hand to his head confused at where it had come from, and surprised that it hadn't passed right through him. Then he saw that the remaining kids had built small walls out of snow and were throwing the snow at each other. Jack watched fascinated as the kids scooped up snow and squeezed it between their hands before throwing it at someone. Jack copied their actions until he had a perfect snowball. He blew on it to get rid of the extra snow on top and the snowball started to glow blue, similar to his staff. Curious, but why waste a perfect snowball, he threw it at an unsuspecting kid. With uncanny aim, the snowball smacked the boy in the head and sent him face first into the snow. The kids around him laughed and Jack laughed with them.

The kid that had been knocked over was back on his feet in no time, laughing as hard as all his friends. Jack noticed then that the blue glow was around the boy's eyes. The boy then turned into the fiercest snowball thrower in the group. His laughter was contagious and soon all the kids had joined in, including Jack.

Inevitably, it started to get dark and the kids started to head back to their warm homes, leaving Jack behind on the lake shore. Jack didn't mind it too much, they would be back. And while they couldn't see or hear him, he could still play with them.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: So sorry! I can't believe how long it took me to write this chapter. I kept getting stuck.  
**

**I did a little research for this chapter, I was trying to find an OLD christmas carol from around the time Jack was human. I have two verses written and here is the link to he version i liked if you want to hear the full song. Just go to YouTube ( watch?v=rpUAZso3Gck).  
**

**I went and saw RotG in theatres again, and guess what! It started snowing after we got out of the movie! To perfect. I guess it gave me enough of an inspiration boost to get this chapter up. Please read and review, I could use some ideas right about now.  
**

Chapter 3, Christmas Spirit

It had been two months since Jack had risen from the lake. Two months of playing with children and mastering his powers. He had discovered that he could control the weather, to a point. He could make it snow whenever he wanted, and he could make it colder too. He learned how to control that quickly, be cause when it was too cold the children never came outside to play.

He was better at flying now too; a little unsteady still, but at least he never came crashing out of the sky anymore. He was learning how the talk to the wind too, and understand its answers. So far the wind was the only one who saw him, and Jack wasn't even sure if that counted.

Jack was reclined on his customary branch overlooking a colonial Burgess. The town looked different recently. The people had decorated it with wreaths on every door and a tree was placed in the center of the square. Jack was fascinated as he watched all the townspeople pitch in to decorate it. The children had taken to going door to door singing instead of coming to the lake to play. Jack could hear their song carried to him by the wind, he could barely make out the words.

I saw three ships come sailing in  
On Christmas Day, on Christmas Day;  
I saw three ships come sailing in  
On Christmas Day in the morning.

Pray, wither sailed those ships all three,  
On Christmas Day, on Christmas Day;  
Pray, wither sailed those ships all three,  
On Christmas Day in the morning.

The adults had gathered around to listen and Jack wished he could have been standing there too. The playful sounding song cheered him up and he badly wanted to be down there with them singing along. The song didn't last long though, parents soon called their kids in for the night. Surprisingly, the children were eager to be off to bed.

_But why? _Jack wondered. He could almost see the excitement in the air. _What is so special about tonight?_

When the kids were put to bed and the parents blew out the candles, Jack crept into town.

Jack had been avoiding the town since the first night when he rose from the ice. Too many people around him made him nervous.

Nothing was different about the town, except for the decorations. Jack flourished his staff and let the wind carry him up to one of the roofs. He looked up at the moon seeing if it would provide any answers, but it was silent as always. Jack could almost make out a smirk on the moon's face though.

The silent night was interrupted by the jingle of sleigh bells. Jack turned and looked at the road going into the village, but it was empty. A shadow passed overhead and Jack gasped as he saw a sleigh pulled by eight reindeer come gliding into the small town. A man bigger than anyone else he had seen climbed out of the sleigh. He wore a red coat that matched his sleigh and a black fur hat. A red, bulging bag was slung casually over his shoulder as he made his way toward the first house. The man, more nimble than he appeared, climbed up easily to the roof of the first house, and much to Jack's astonishment, jumped down the narrow chimney.

With the help of the wind, Jack glided over to the roof the man had been on, only to see him jump out of the chimney the next house over. Bemused, Jack watched the man go in one chimney and out the next as he moved from house to house. The man visited each of the houses in turn, and when he was finished he jumped back down to the snow covered ground and made his way back to the sleigh. He passed by the house Jack was perched on, and to Jack's surprise, the man looked up and saw him.

_That can't be. He actually looked at me?_

The man waved to Jack to get him to come down. Cautiously, Jack slid of the roof and landed lightly in the snow.

"Children should be in bed by now," the man chided in his Russian accent. "Not trying to get a glimpse of Santa. You should hurry home. It's almost Christmas and you don't want to miss out on your gifts."

"Home?" Jack said quietly. He wasn't sure what the man meant. "You mean my lake?" The man looked closer at Jack, taking in his staff with the faint blue glow, his bare feet and white hair.

"I see," the man said gently. "Come with me." He reached his hand out to place it on Jack's shoulder, but Jack flinched away. Startled, Jack started to back away toward the forest. The man tried to approach him again, and Jack fled.

Safely back at his lake Jack peered through the trees to make sure he hadn't been followed. Why had that man been able to see him? Jack almost wanted to go back, but then he heard the sleigh bells and saw the sleigh fly on. To late now. Why did he run? Maybe that man had the answers, answers that the moon wouldn't give him. The wind twirled around Jack, tousling his hair.

_Someone comes, _the wind whispered.

Jack looked up in time to see a girl about nine yeas old stand next to lake. Her shoulder length brown hair was a little messy from sleep. She had put on boots and a coat over her nightgown. Jack edged closer to her. He had seen her in the village before, but she never came to the lake to play. She carried a candle, which she now set next to the lake.

Jack was close enough now to see that her eyes were red and swollen from crying. She crouched down next to the candle and looked over the ice covered lake. Tears started to well up in her eyes as her eyes drifted over the very spot Jack had risen from.

"Merry Christmas Jack," she whispered, before breaking down into sobs.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N This chapter is short and sweet, but I needed the transition. Now that I've finished with Jack's first year as a spirit, it's time to move on to more main plot chapters. I really like how this chapter turned out, even if it is a little short.  
**

**I'm starting to get an idea where I want the story to go now. Thank you for all the followers and favorites. If there is anything you would like to see show up in the story let me know! I'm open for new ideas. Please read and review.**

Chapter 4, Northward

Jack felt sluggish, much like the slush that surrounded his lake. No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't make the snow stay. The lake itself was still frozen, but the town and forest were starting to thaw out. The days were slowly becoming uncomfortably warm. Would they soon be unbearable?

He did not know what to do. Frustrated, he waved his staff creating some snowflakes, but they melted before they even touched the ground.

The only relief Jack had was when he stretched out on the ice still covering the lake, but even that wouldn't last much longer, no matter how hard he tried.

Night brought some relief, but only briefly. While the day was filled with frustration, the night was filled with golden dreams.

The dreams started out as Jack creating more snow and enjoying endless winter days. Playing with the children, some could even see him, but only in the dreams. Flying with the wind, soaring among the clouds; Jack wasn't even sure if he could fly that high.

But then the dreams changed as the weather grew warmer. He dreamed of flying far away, letting the wind carry him as far north as it could; to where the snow never melted. Each night the dream was the same. Each time he flew farther into the northern reaches. Until he was gliding over a ridge, almost reaching the edge, so close he could almost see what his destination was and then he woke up.

The dream ended so quickly that Jack could still see the golden motes of sand floating around his head. Jack searched for the source of the sand in the pre-dawn sky, but there was nothing.

One good thing came from the dream. He knew what he needed to do now-follow the wind.

Jack floated up to the lowest branches of his favorite tree, and began to climb. He climbed as high as the branches could hold him and looked over the sleeping village of Burgess.

This little world was all that he knew; could he leave it behind? The wind stirred through the trees, encouraging him to let go, to fly. Jack grinned as the sun crested over the horizon. He would fly, free as the wind, going wherever it chose to take him.

He took the first step, and let go of the tree. He didn't fall, the wind caught him. It tumbled him around playfully.

"Take me north!" he laughed, and the wind carried him above the clouds toward the endless snow.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Sorry again for the late update, work really kills my writing mood. This chapter just kind of came to me while I was writing and took a completely different direction than I had planned. But I think it worked out. **

**Yes, this chapter turned out shorter than expected, but I already have the next chapter started, I promise!**

**Read, enjoy and review!  
**

Chapter 5, Spring is in the Air

Jack had settled into an easy routine. Over the past five years, he would spend fall, winter, and parts of early spring down south around Burgess. Each day he had explored a little farther, but he always returned to his lake. The weather would inevitably warm up to much for him; that was when he would fly north.

The weather was like that today, way to warm. Jack had found himself drawn to the coast where a cool breeze was coming off the waves; Jack helped it along a bit.

He sighed in relief as the wind cooled him off and settled into the sand. He dug his toes into the sand, noting how much cooler it was underneath. So like his snow, but still so different. His snow was soft and comforting, while sand clung to and got stuck in everything. He dragged his staff across the sand and watched the frost patterns form, only to be washed away as the waves crept closer with the incoming tide.

Voices from further down the beach reached his ears; where a couple strolled hand in hand, whispering to each other and laughing. The girl, about sixteen, shivered a bit as Jack's cool breeze reached her and tucked her shoulder length brown hair back behind her ear. Jack recognized her as the girl who had wished him Merry Christmas those few years ago. She had grown.

Her companion was a man a few years older than her and a good head taller too. His brown hair stood out unruly from under his cap and his green eyes had a glint to them that seemed to look for trouble. Jack had a feeling that he would have gotten along with him, except that he couldn't see Jack of course.

They could have been siblings, they looked so much alike. If it hadn't been for the look of complete adoration from the girl, Jack would have thought that.

The man took off his jacket and placed it around her shoulders; she smiled up at him gratefully.

"Are you cold?" he asked her.

"Just a little," she replied quietly.

"Perhaps we should head back, we've come pretty far."

"I want to stay a little longer." The man smiled and looked out over the grey sea. He looked back down at her and his smile changed into a smirk. The girl watched the waves with a peaceful expression, completely unaware of her companion's sudden mischievous streak.

The man stooped down and scooped her up, ignoring her shriek of surprise, and started for the wagon parked at the edge of the beach. She laughed and started kicking her feet, struggling to get him to put her down. He reached the wagon and placed her into the seat.

"Your father would have my head if I didn't have you back by nightfall," he teased. She huffed and crossed her arms.

He started to lean in closer to her, her eyes started to close, and Jack took off into the wind courteously sending a gust of cold wind their way. The girl shrieked again and pulled the jacket around her, while the man was sent chasing after his hat.

Yes, things were starting to get too warm around here. It was time to head north.

**A/N: awww Jack's sister is growing up. I figured that she would have found a guy that had been like her brother. **

**I actually had a good idea for another fanfic about Jack and his sister, but I need to work on this one a bit more.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Hooray for another chapter! and I managed to make this one a little longer too. **

**I now have a rough draft of my second fanfic that I mentioned in the previous chapter and I think it turned out pretty good. I'm a little stuck on the name for Jack's sister though. Any ideas? I don't want to use Pippa, Rosie, Elizabeth or Emma. They have been kind of over used.**

**I love getting feedback from you guys. It makes it so much more worth it to keep writing! Have a Merry Christmas!  
**

**Anyway, read enjoy and review!  
**

Chapter 6, Frozen Elves

Jack leaned against a snow bank, grateful that his white hair helped him to blend in, even if his cloak did not. Quietly, he climbed up high enough to peek over the snow bank. It had taken him a while to find it, but he finally did. The big man in red's hideout.

Jake had tried to follow then man after each Christmas, only to be left behind as he flew through a portal on his sleigh. Then one year, Jack had spent the Christmas season up north and witnessed the big man returning early Christmas morning. The problem was that he lost track of him soon after.

The year after that he had been ready. He had kept the weather calm through sheer force of will; rather difficult when the weather responds to your emotions and you are excited beyond reasoning. He had staked out some high ground with an excellent view of his surroundings. All his hard work had paid off. He finally watched the famed sleigh pull into a cave in the mountainside. A quick look around the mountain left him so stunned, he nearly fell out of the sky.

A castle. That was the only way he could describe it. He had never seen such a huge building before. The largest part of the building was topped by a large dome and windows were abundant all over. Smaller replicas of the main building peeked up through different parts of the mountain, and a large ramp jutted out of another cave.

Jack floated down and landed on the ramp and peered down the tunnel. With a loud cheer, Jack jumped in and with a little help from the wind the tunnel became his playground.

He reached the end of the tunnel far too soon and looked back over his shoulder. Trails of frost shone where he had placed his feet during the wild ride, corkscrewing around the width of the tunnel. Drifts of snow had piled up as Jack had flourished his staff.

Jack leaned on his staff as he took in the sight. It was beautiful.

The snort of an animal pulled his attention away from the tunnel and he followed the sound into a stable. He found reindeer, eight of them; each one in their own stalls. Jack marveled at the powerful beasts and wondered how something so big could fly.

Jack heard something coming and dove behind one of the stable walls. He could now make out the jingle of cheerful sounding bells and a frustrated huff. He cautiously peeked over the wall of the stall. The reindeer whose stall he was hiding behind was dancing nervously and kept blocking Jack's view. So Jack risked being seen, and crept back toward the front of the stalls.

He saw a huge furry monster with a beard and a ponytail dumping buckets of food into a feeding trough for each reindeer. The strangest thing though, was the six or so elves scurrying around his feet. The elves were trying to keep up with the furry beast and balance a bucket full of feed on their heads. Since it took three elves to one bucket, the entire effort was rather uncoördinated.

The furry beast would pick up the full bucket off the elves, and set down the empty one into their waiting hands. The elves would then scurry off to refill the bucket, while the furry beast would feed the reindeer.

Jack chuckled when he saw one of the elves trip and end up with the bucket trapping the elf under it. The other elves jumped around, their bells jingling merrily, and tried to shove the bucket off. They only succeeded in shoving it around.

Jack laughed and floated over to the struggling elves. He lifted the bucket off of the trapped elf.

"There you go!" he said cheerily. The trapped elf took one look at him and gave a squeak of fear before it dramatically fainted. The other elves looked at their "fallen" companion and began running around crazily.

"Whoa!" Jack shouted as he tried to avoid stepping on them. More elves saw the chaos and joined in for no apparent reason, and soon Jack was surrounded by a cacophony of panicking elves and their crazy bells. "Hey!" he yelled as he nearly tripped over one that ran underneath him. This was ridiculous, there was no stopping them.

The furry beast had turned just in time to see Jack raise his staff and slam it into the ground, freezing every one of the elves. The furry beast gave a garbled yell of horror and snatched for Jack. The winter spirit was to fast, and ducked out of the hasty grab. He floated toward one of the doors that led further in and threw them open. He flew out of the stable as fast as he could, laughing at the confounded furry beast and flew straight into another one.

This one looked down on him surprised, but it reacted faster than Jack could and grabbed the back of Jack's cloak. Jack yelled at the furry beast to put him down and struggled against the beast's furry grip. These things were strong!

The beast hauled Jack through the corridors to the front door, and unceremoniously chucked him into the snow. Just before the doors closed, Jack heard a booming voice.

"Phil! What on earth is going on? I just found half the elves frozen in the stables," then the door slammed shut.

A disheveled Jack sat in the snow with the biggest grin on his face. Now that was fun!

**A/N: So how did my first prank turn out? If you have anything you want to see turn up in the story let me know! I have three hundred years to fill here!**


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